Today on This Morning, longtime editor, Martin Frizell said farewell to the show.
And, as the This Morning boss – who had worked on the programme for a decade – waved goodbye, Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson were overwhelmed with emotion.
So much so, Alison broke down in tears…
This Morning waves farewell to boss Martin Frizell today
On the This Morning sofa today (February 28), Josie and Alison revealed how Martin had hired them both as presenters on the daytime show.
Josie shared Martin’s departure, stating: “Today is a very special day. And a very sad day for us, because our editor, Martin, it’s his last day.”
She also explained that Martin had been in control of Friday’s jukebox today, with Alison quipping that Martin has good taste as Shania Twain’s iconic anthem Man! I Feel Like A Woman was played.
He has got good taste. Well, he employs us!
“He’s got quite good taste, our editor,” Alison joked.
“He has got good taste. Well, he employs us!” Josie replied.
To this, Alison agreed: “Very true! Good point, babe, good point.”
This Morning departure
Martin announced his exit from the show in November 2024. His decision was made so that he can spend more time with his wife, TV journalist Fiona Phillips, who received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2022.
Later on in the programme, Martin joined the presenters on the sofa, where Alison emotionally admitted she would miss him and Josie thanked the editor for believing in her when she didn’t always believe in herself.
Alison was so emotional she actually broke down in tears, to which Martin offered her a comforting hug.
“On behalf of the team on This Morning we think you are incredible and we are so sad to see you go,” Alison gushed.
Josie added: “I just want to say, thank you so much. Because you believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself and you grew me as a presenter. I just can’t thank you enough.”
Alison tearfully added: “We love you and we’ll miss you.”
Martin Frizell’s exit
Last year, Martin reflected on his upcoming exit. He said: “Next year I’m expecting my family priorities to change, so I need to free up time for them. I love my team at ITV and will miss them and the thrill of live telly, but it’s an always on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week commitment, and I won’t be able to do both.”
He went on to say: “It’s been a privilege to lead truly great presenters and producers, between us we’ve turned out more than six thousand hours of live topical telly, that’s around 20,000 items.
“Whilst the gongs are always nice, I’m most proud of the change we made to so many lives, even saving a fair few with our campaigns on anti-suicide, menopause, testicular cancer and ‘how-to’ items. This juggernaut is the toughest test for any broadcast journalist.”
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